Josie Scheithauer on first team; 6 more Redmen earn awards

ALL-MARAWOOD NORTH SOFTBALL

The conference-champion Athens Blue Jays filled six of the 10 spots on the 2023 All-Marawood North softball first team, but an up-and-coming Rib Lake squad showed they are a team to watch, getting one first-team pick and six more who earned either second-team or honorable mention awards.

Junior Josie Scheithauer is Rib Lake’s first All-North first-team softball selection since Sam Rodman in 2019. She was one of the nine unanimous selections to this year’s first team.

Six of Rib Lake’s award winners could return in 2024 after they led the Redmen to a much-improved 15-5 year under head coach Craig Scheithauer that included a 6-2 mark in the Marawood North. Rib Lake’s four second-team picks are among those players and include junior Leah Chmielowiec, sophomore Addison Gumz and freshmen Avery Niemi and Tahlia Scheithauer.

The lone senior in the bunch is Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer, who graduates with an honorable mention award in her final season. Freshman Kara Kennedy also got mention from the coaches in the fiveteam conference.

Rib Lake finished second in the conference behind 8-0 Athens. Three of its five losses came to the Blue Jays, including a 14-4 WIAA Division 4 regional final defeat where the Lady Redmen were within 5-4 until a nine-run bottom of the sixth broke it open for Athens. In the round before that, Rib Lake earned the program’s first WIAA post-season win since 2018 with an 11-1 rout of Prairie Farm.

Josie Scheithauer was a leading hitter, a solid shortstop and Rib Lake’s top pitcher in 2023.

In the circle, Scheithauer went 9-2 in 12 appearances with a 3.83 earned run average in 60.1 innings pitched. She was 3-1 in four North games pitched. Scheithauer struck out 32 batters and walked 11 in 20 conference innings and recorded 92 strikeouts overall with 33 walks, 59 hits and 33 earned runs allowed.

At the plate, Scheithauer hit .458 in league play (11 for 24) with two doubles, four runs batted in and six runs scored. Overall in 20 games, Scheithauer posted a batting average of .400 (24 for 60) with six doubles, 15 runs batted in, 12 runs scored, 11 walks drawn and five stolen bases.

One of Scheithauer’s best games came May 11 in a 5-2 home win over Phillips, which clinched second place for the Redmen. She struck out 12 Loggers in the win, walked two (one intentionally) and allowed just four hits and one earned run. She shut down Chequamegon in a 3-1 win played at Wisconsin Rapids on April 10, striking out eight and walking one while allowing just two hits. Another solid outing came in a Marawood crossover with Newman Catholic on May 15 when Scheithauer went three for four at the plate and struck out eight Cardinals, walked two and allowed just five hits. She struck out 11 hitters in Rib Lake’s season-opening 6-1 win over Shiocton in Rhinelander.

Scheithauer was four for five with a double and three RBIs in a 26-1 win over Prentice on April 27, was two for four and scored twice in an 8-1 win over Chequamegon April 10 and had two hits and a run scored in the playoff loss to Athens.

She joins Kendall Weik and Alie Williams of Phillips and Chequamegon freshman Adison Bablick on the 2023 North first team. Athens filled out the rest of the team with juniors Addison Lavicka, Jazelle Hartwig, Sophia Coker and Sydney Coker, sophomore pitcher Danica Diethelm and senior Elle Gauerke.

Weik was named the conference’s Player of the Year for the second straight spring. She battled back from a serious knee injury to pitch for the Loggers and lead them in hitting. Craig Diedrich of Athens was named Coach of the Year.

Chmielowiec bumped up a notch for Rib Lake after earning honorable mention last year. The centerfielder put up some big numbers hitting .478 in league play (11 for 23) and .403 overall (25 for 62) with five doubles, 23 runs scored, 15 runs batted in, eight walks and a team-high 10 stolen bases. She was Rib Lake’s conference leader in on-base percentage at .556.

Chmielowiec had nine multi-hit games, including a three-for-four outing in Rib Lake’s 8-1 win over Chequamegon April 10. She was a combined five for seven that day after also going two for three in the 3-1 game-one win. She had two hits in both ends of a doubleheader sweep with Prentice and was two for three in the regional final at Athens. She was a combined five for 11 with three runs scored and two driven in during Rib Lake’s 2-1 showing at the season-opening Rhinelander tournament.

Gumz, Rib Lake’s third baseman and leadoff hitter, hit .375 in North games (nine for 24) and .328 overall (21 for 64) while scoring a team-high 26 runs. She hit two doubles and two triples during the year, drove in 17 runs and stole eight bases. Gumz had seven multi-hit games. She had two hits in both ends of the Prentice doubleheader, went two for three in a 16-5 loss at Athens April 28 and was two for three at Athens again in the tournament game, including a double. She scored four runs in a 27-13 non-conference win at Owen-Withee on May 16 and was three for four with four RBIs in a 13-1 win over Mellen at Rhinelander on March 25.

Niemi filled the number-three spot in the batting order and was Rib Lake’s primary catcher. Niemi tied for Rib Lake’s team lead in runs batted in with 23 and hit .391 overall (25 for 64) and .333 in league play (eight for 24). She hit four of Rib Lake’s eight triples this spring and led the team with her .547 slugging percentage. She added two doubles and drew 10 walks.

Conference highlights for Niemi included a three-for-four day in the 8-1 win over Chequamegon, a two-for-four game in a key 7-6 win over Phillips and she was two for four with a double and four RBIs in the crossover win over Newman. Niemi was three for four with three runs driven in during the regional win over Prairie Farm and opened the year with a 10-game hitting streak, including multihit games against Shiocton, Auburndale, Minnehaha Academy and Marathon.

Tahlia Scheithauer rotated with Josie Scheithauer at the pitching and shortstop positions and filled the number-two spot in the batting order.

At the plate, she hit a solid .385 in conference play (10 for 26) with two triples and eight RBIs and finished at .393 overall (24 or 61) with 18 RBIs, 18 runs scored and a team-high .507 on-base percentage with help from 11 walks and being hit by a team-high three pitches. She went four for four in the win over Newman with three runs scored and two RBIs, was five for seven with three runs and two triples in the doubleheader with Prentice and had multi-hit games against Shiocton, Marathon, Athens and Colby-Abbotsford during the year.

In the circle, Scheithauer was 3-1 in league play with a 5.73 earned run average with 16 strikeouts in 22 innings. Overall, she was 6-1 with a 5.48 ERA in 38.1 innings pitched, striking out 32, walking 32 and allowing 46 hits and 30 earned runs. She struck out seven and gave up just three hits in the 8-1 win over Chequamegon, was the winning pitcher in the 7-6 come-from-behind win over Phillips.

Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer was Rib Lake’s primary first baseman and hit in the clean-up spot, posting a .224 batting average (13 for 58) with three doubles, 13 runs batted in and 16 runs scored. Six of her RBIs came in league play, including two against Athens. She had a three-forfour day against Shiocton in the season opener and was two for four against a good Auburndale team on March 26.

Kennedy was one of the area’s most productive number-nine hitters in her first varsity season and filled the rightfield spot defensively. She tied Niemi for the team lead with 23 RBIs and hit .405 overall (17 for 42) and .333 in conference play (six for 18). Nine of her RBIs came in league play.

Kennedy had four RBIs in the playoff win over Prairie Farm while going three for three and scoring three times. She also drove in four in a 13-6 win over Marathon on April 4 while going two for two. She had a three-for-three game against Prentice and was two for three with two RBIs in the Newman win. Rib Lake’s 15 wins were the most for the program since the state-qualifying Redmen of 2004, who also were coached by Craig Scheithauer, went 15-5. Not only should the team bring back most of its roster, it hopes to get a boost in 2024 from another talented young player, Tessa Weik, who missed her freshman season due to a basketball knee injury.

Leah ChmielowiecSecond Team

Addison Gumz Second Team

Avery Niemi Second Team

Tahlia Scheithauer Second Team

Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer Hon. Mention

Kara Kennedy Hon. Mention